Whilst wandering about Ixelles on my wine bar trail, I also went in search of a wine bar I had read about called the ‘Tire Bouchon’. Whilst I enjoyed a pleasant glass of Pinot Bianco in sophisticated surroundings, the bar failed to overwhelm me. The beautiful decor was let down by its lacklustre staff, too busy with their phones to talk about wine or even care; unfortunately it is not somewhere I will be rushing back to.
Beautiful decor at the ‘Tire Bouchon’, but lacked a little something special.
However, as is often the case when searching for a recommendation, you often, invariably, stumble across something else that is much better. And so, whilst exploring, I squinted through a cute little restaurant window and saw something that took my fancy. That night, Valentine’s night to be exact, I dragged my friend along for a not so romantic but extremely enjoyable meal. Called ‘Parloir’ the decor is minimalistic with a quirky industrial feel, with sleek black tiles, a scruffy floor and empty picture frames hanging on the wall (I would love to see some local artists exhibit within those frames). There was an open kitchen at the back which made us feel as though we were dining at a friend’s house. The waitress was immediately welcoming and friendly, and kindly explained their concept to us. A small menu, there is a range of about eight dishes to choose from that they recommend you share, tapas style. I loved the choices on offer, they were innovative with a great vegetarian selection, something not always easy to find in this neck of the woods! We opted for burrata with roasted fennel, butternut squash with a wasabi crust and some tasty feta with wilted spinach. Whilst I love vegetarian food we couldn’t resist taking the steak dish as well, and the soft, tender cut came sliced and cooked to perfection. Not everything arrived at the same time but it all came pretty swiftly and so in the end everything was tasted both singularly and together. It made such a refreshing change, sharing a meal but with quality food that could quite happily work both on its own and as tapas.
That empty frame is calling for some artwork!
Kitchen tucked away at the back made it feel like home, well if my kitchen were that big that is!!
Cozy and intimate vibe.
My friend was jetting off to Bali early the next day so we decided against a bottle of wine and opted for a carafe of their house wine instead, which was surprisingly delicious. I’m not sure what wines they have by the bottle as one of the beautiful aspects to this place was that it was more waitress chat than menu reading, but I certainly didn’t feel disappointed by our decision to go for the house red, and I will certainly be returning when there are no 6am flights getting in the way to discover what else they have to offer. I’m sometimes loathe to unveil a hidden gem, but I can’t deny others the pleasure of experiencing this wonderful place, and I have a feeling it won’t stay hidden for long.
Le Parloir, Avenue Ducpétiaux 3, 1060 Saint-Gilles (+32 471 11 17 88) Closed Sunday and Monday. Open for lunch and dinner 12-2pm/6.30pm-10pm.
Tire Bouchon, Rue Defacqz 85, 1060 Saint-Gilles, Belgium. Open daily 2.30-11.30pm (10pm Sunday), closed Mondays.
